Best day in a LONG while.

[DougW]

So, my wife started getting headaches in November 2010. By mid December, she was having them every day. We went to the hospital, and it was found she had a tumor near her pituitary, which was likely the root. Her pituitary hadn't been functioning correctly for a decade or so, so possibly she's had the tumor longer (her hormone levels have been all over the map and doctors haven't been able to control them with medicine).

The headaches have been consistent since the end of 2010, with several times a week escalating into miserable. She "grades" them (on the 1-10 pain scale) as a 6-7 all the time, and a 9-10 during peaks. So basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week she's had a bad headache - and then a couple times a week it gets worse for half a day into migraine level. Needless to say, she's been miserable.

Anyway, the local hospital wasn't much help. In the beginning she was going in once a month or so, when the headaches would "spike". They would treat the pain (give her some narcotics, and knock her out), and send her on her way. We changed hospitals to a different local hospital, and then went out to Detroit - but really the same outcome, just different docs. Both hospitals & specialists had her trying various medicines to help her, but nothing worked. They also kept feeding her pain meds (which she didn't take very long, as she became pretty worried she was (would be) becoming addicted to narcotics).

Our first reaction, was - it's obviously caused by this tumor, so let's get rid of it. Unfortunately, this wasn't a great option. The tumor was sitting very close to her optic nerves, and any operation removing the tumor would present a significant risk of damaging the nerve and losing her sight. She's been struggling with this decision for over a year now ...
1) Deal with a constant headache, with incredible spikes.
2) Have a surgery, and face a high risk of going blind.

So after about 17 months of dealing with Wyandotte, Oakwood, Detroit hospitals, we were stuck in a rut - go to the specialists, try some different meds, live miserably with the pain. We decided we were going to take the next step, and head up to Ann Arbor to the U of M hospital. We did that in April, and have seen a few different specialists since. They first sent us to their Endocrine team to try to get a grip on her hormones, as they thought the overworked pituitary may be swelling at times and causing the spikes. We seen their Neurology and Neurosurgeons, but mostly they were just biding our time before we could see their headache and pituitary specialists. We finally got to them a couple weeks ago, and were a little disappointed. Another, "try this medicine" visit. As usual, it didn't work - but we didn't have to wait 6 months to get another visit. They scheduled her for today, and gave her a "procedure".

They went in and numbed her head, and gave her a "supra orbital nerve block" & a "supratrochlear nerve block" (I think they were called). Basically, sending some medicine to block the pain receptors in her head.

Wallah !! Her headache is gone !! Well, down to a 1 she says - but tonight her tears are happiness instead of pain

They are still working to figure out the cause, and finding a permanent solution (these blocks will only last a few months, then she'd have to "re-up"). But, for the first time in a couple years, there is light at the end of the tunnel !

[RainMaker]

That's great news. Chronic pain is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Sounds like you found some great doctors.

[BillJasper]

Good news. Hopefully the next step will be a permanent solution.

[Grover]

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

I get migraines occasionally and no medicine (except cannabis) can touch them. Glad you're starting to find a solution. Phenomenal news.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Congrats!

[DougW]

Thanks guys, she just kicked me out of the living room (all in fun, of course) cuz I keep poking fun at her. The numbing medicine is wearing off, and it's causing her eyebrows to raise. So, as we're sitting and talking she's doing this :

[Lathum]

great news!

[Eaglesfan27]

Great news! I hope she has continued relief.

[bulletsponge]

thats great news! lets hope she kicks headaches ass permanantly

[Sun Tzu]

Yes! Great news.

Congrats!

[britrock88]

Great news. U of M Hospitals should do you well going forward.

[Passacaglia]

Congrats! If you want to make sure she's cured, tell her about the 20-year history you're working on from the thread in the FOF forum. In great detail.

[DougW]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Congrats! If you want to make sure she's cured, tell her about the 20-year history you're working on from the thread in the FOF forum. In great detail.

haha, True story. If she could endure that w/o a headache .. she's in the clear

She went to bed a 1/2 hour ago-ish, and still felt good. Sure hope she wakes up tomorrow still pain free .

[BYU 14]

Definitely great new, good to hear things are looking up.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by DougW

She went to bed a 1/2 hour ago-ish, and still felt good. Sure hope she wakes up tomorrow still pain free .

First time in 2 years that "Not tonight, I have a headache" isn't a valid excuse and you're here with us.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

First time in 2 years that "Not tonight, I have a headache" isn't a valid excuse and you're here with us.

Smart man.

[terpkristin]

That's great news. There is almost nothing worse than chronic pain (at least in my experience) and you don't realize how much it impacts you and those around you until you aren't in pain.

Glad you guys were able to get some relief!

/tk

[DougW]

Thanks again, for the comments . It seems the blockers are working, still no headache - and it's been almost 48 hours. At this point, she's quite overwhelmed with relief (she was getting pretty sure she'd never find a "fix). She says she's just happy to know she can be headache free, and doesn't care to much right now about whether or not they find a permanent cure haha.

[hoopsguy]

Really exciting news, very happy for both of you.